


Be my Valentine's Special

by crystalklances



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Pining, Smitten Keith (Voltron), Valentine's Day, well for one date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 11:38:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9722894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalklances/pseuds/crystalklances
Summary: Lance whines because the Valentine's Day Special is for couples only. To stop his whining, Keith offers to be his boyfriend for the day.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've worked on this for several days with lots of breaks because migraines and lack of sleep lead to some kind of writer's block. I actually also was working on a valentine's day themed third part to my coffee shop series, but that one isn't finished yet for the same reason. I'm glad I was able to finish this one on time, though.

If Lance were to lean forward any more than that, his nose would be touching the glass of the shop's window. Keith watched him from the side, taking note of the other boy's pout. The café was on their way home, and for the past week or so, every day without fail, Lance would stop in front of the window and delay their walk. Keith had no idea why Lance kept staring at the window like that. He hadn’t asked yet. Maybe he should do that now, he thought, while tapping his foot and crossing his arms.

“How much longer are you going to stare at this poster? What’s even the deal with that?”

Lance turned to look at him, pout still in effect. “Are you blind? It’s the poster for the Valentine’s Day Special!”

“And?” Keith quirked an eyebrow, waiting for elaboration.

“I’ve only been looking forward to that for like, I don’t know, ever since Coran first mentioned about it?” Lance said. “But then they put up the posters, and I had to learn it’s for couples only. _Couples only_ , Keith! That’s so unfair!”

“Well, I mean, isn’t that kind of the point of Valentine’s Day?” Keith supplied.

This earned him a whine. “Keith, you don’t understand!”

While Keith admitted that he hadn’t paid any attention to the poster even though they pass by the location every day and are sort of regular customers (thanks to Coran being the owner), he did remember Lance’s excitement. He remembered it clearly because he may or may not have looked at him fondly. To his defense, Lance was especially cute when excited.

Keith thought for a moment. Valentine’s day was the following day. Even if Lance stopped staring at the poster like that, Keith was sure that Lance would continue to whine, now that Keith had asked about it. While that was, truth be told, a bit annoying at times, Keith also really hated seeing Lance unhappy. So there was only one solution.

“Will you stop whining about it if I go with you?” Keith asked.

Lance was ready to complain further until the words reached him. He stared at Keith, blinking. Then, he let out a high-pitched, “what?” and stared at Keith with his lips slightly parted.

Keith sighed. “I said, will you stop whining if I go with you?”

“I heard that!” Lance’s voice was still squeakier than usual. “But why?”

“You want the Valentine’s Day Special, it’s for couples only, I am offering to be your boyfriend for the day. You get your special, I get to be spared from your whining. I say that’s a win for both of us.” Keith made an impatient gesture with his arm. “Now come on, we still have to walk home. We can discuss the details on the way or when we get home.”

He started to walk, not bothering to look if Lance would follow because Keith knew he would.

And sure enough, there was the telltale sign of Lance yelling for Keith to wait up and scrambling to walk at the same level. When they were both back at their usual pace, Lance pointed out: “Okay, fine, so hypothetically speaking I accept your offer … you _do_ realize that we have to be authentic?”

The hidden challenge in that did not go unnoticed. Keith scoffed: “What, you think I can’t be a perfectly good boyfriend?”

“That’s not what I said!”

Keith ignored him to announce: “I’ll give you the best date you’ve ever had tomorrow, and then you’ll wish I actually was your boyfriend.”

The noise Lance made after that could best be described as what people on the internet called a “dying whale noise.” His face also seemed flushed, though Keith blamed that on the cold breeze.

“Oh, yeah?” Lance scowled at him after a brief moment of collecting himself. “Then how about you act the part at home too? Like doing the dishes since I already take care of cooking to avoid fire damage, and not to mention not leaving your clothes all over the place!”

“What? I don’t leave my clothes all over the place!”

“Then how come just yesterday there were dirty socks and boxers in the kitchen of all places? _The kitchen_ , Keith! We have laundry baskets for a reason!”

“I didn’t put them there! The cats love playing with all kinds of things, it was probably one of them!”

“Don’t bring the cats into this!”

Their bickering continued as they walked, but soon enough made place for soft giggles and stifled laughter. They had known each other for years now, and their status as roommates in a shared apartment had been constant for a while, as well. They were, in fact, very comfortable with each other and besides, their arguments were barely ever serious. Just like their competitive nature, it was part of their routine. Both of them knew it was for fun, and in the rare event that a comment was hurtful or didn’t sit right, they had long since learned to talk about it.

When they arrived at their apartment, they took off their shoes and jackets and put their bags aside. Lance went to the kitchen to start on preparing dinner, while Keith took care of checking if the cats still had enough food and water as well as cleaning the litter box. Once that was done, he decided to sort his laundry to prevent a repeat of the socks-and-boxers-in-the-kitchen incident. Although he was still pretty sure that it was Red and Blue’s doing; those two were always up to all kinds of shenanigans.

It also led him to think.

Was there a reason why he had offered to be Lance’s boyfriend aside from making him able to get the Valentine’s Day Special? Why had he made that declaration when Lance made it sound like Keith wasn’t able to make it look like they really were boyfriends?

To tell the truth, Keith had been wondering for some time if the true nature of his fondness for Lance was of the romantic kind. There was also that Lance was beautiful in Keith’s eyes. He hadn’t really thought about it earlier—but maybe it was his subconscious telling him he that needed to make a move. When considering that Keith was also pretty impulsive and instinct-driven in nature, that seemed like a logical conclusion. But the question was if Lance would have an interest in a relationship, too.

Eventually, Lance called out for him to set the table because dinner was nearly done. He did as told and they sat down together.They started eating in silence, only interrupted by Red and Blue running around, until Lance spoke up.

“So…” he said, dragging out the O. Keith looked up, silently asking him to go on. “How exactly is this gonna work tomorrow?”

“Well,” Keith replied, speaking slowly, “we go to the café, pick a nice cozy little table, ask for that Special, and pretend to be all lovey-dovey.”

“And you are _sure_ that this is gonna work? _Can_ you act all lovey-dovey?”

“Of course I can!” Keith was a little offended and felt challenged all at the same time. “I’ll show you tomorrow just how lovey-dovey I can be! I’ll sweep you off your feet!”

“Well excuse me for going by how you act around me!” Lance huffed. That adorable pout was back on his face. “But fine. You'd better give it your best and sweep me off my feet _thoroughly_ , since technically you're the one who asked _me_ out!” He pointed with his fork. “Don’t disappoint me!”

“Wouldn't dream of it,” Keith mumbled before swiftly stuffing his face.

If Lance heard him, he didn't comment. He continued: “And you have to dress decently. Like, proper date decently.”

“Lance.” Keith swallowed his food so he could talk properly. “Do you really think I’d wear some rumpled old shirt when I _just_ promised I’d sweep you off your feet? And promised earlier that I'd be so good at being your pretend boyfriend that you’ll wish I was your boyfriend for real?”

“I’m—I was just making sure!” Lance was blushing again. “I don't want to dress up only to look like a total loser because I overdressed!”

Keith snorted. “If anything, _I_ would be the loser in that scenario for looking all bland next to your perfection.”

Lance dropped his fork and sounded like he was choking on his food. Keith looked at him with worry as he coughed for a minute or so. “Well—” Lance started in between coughs. “I guess now we know that you are capable of paying compliments. Keep that up tomorrow, and this time I'll be prepared.”

Huh. Did Lance really think that Keith couldn't give him compliments? That settled it, he would give Lance a ton of compliments. He'd say all those little things he’d been thinking about Lance for a while but never quite managed to say out loud.

With the proceedings for their “date” done being planned, they continued their meal in comfortable silence, broken only by random chatter. The cats had by now settled down to nap on the sofa. When they were done eating, they cleaned up the table and did the dishes together. The rest of the evening was spent sitting on the couch together, each doing their own thing.

Eventually, they called it a night and prepared for bed, retreating into their own rooms. Keith fell asleep with a sense of excitement for the next day.

 

The next afternoon, Keith was pacing around the living room, waiting for Lance to finish getting ready in the bathroom. When he finally came out, Keith took in his appearance. Lance was wearing dark blue jeans, a sky-blue button-down shirt with a cream-colored sweater vest, and Keith had a feeling he would wear his signature gray blue sneakers. Lance caught his eye and was now giving him a once-over too.

Keith was the first to speak. “You look great,” he said.

Lance gave a flustered smile. “Thank you, Keith. You don’t look bad, yourself.”

“Good enough to go out with you?” Keith teased. His own choice of clothes was black jeans with crossing belts and a black t-shirt combined with a red and white checkered button-down.

Lance held his chin in mock thought before humming in approval. “Yeah, definitely good enough.”

“Let's go then before we end up without a table and it was all in vain.”

They put on their shoes and jackets, made sure they had their phones and wallets and keys, and left after saying bye to the cats. The walk was spent mostly in silence, both of them mentally preparing for the “date” ahead.

When they arrived at the café, Keith held the door open for Lance and stepped in behind him. They were lucky; while their favored tables were occupied, there was still a free table. They walked right up to it and sat down on the love-seat, sitting as closely together as they dared.

After a short few minutes of waiting, Nyma, one of the waitresses, came over to take their orders. “What can I get for you two today?” she asked.

“The Valentine’s Day Special,” Keith replied without blinking.

“Ooh?” Nyma tossed a strand of her high ponytail back over her shoulder, giving them a curious look. “So you two finally sorted it out, huh?”

“Y-yeah,” Lance said, “Keith asked me out just the other day.”

“This is our first real date as a couple,” Keith supplied, wrapping one arm around Lance to place a hand on his waist for a better show. “And what better place than our favorite café that holds a special meaning for us already?”

Nyma hummed, noting the order down on her notepad. “Alright, one special coming soon.”

When she walked away, Lance turned his head to look at Keith. Keith noted that Lance’s face was flushed again. “What did she mean by that, did we finally sort what out?” Lance whispered.

Keith drummed on the small table with his free hand. “I don’t know,” he whispered back. “But hey, she didn’t even question it, so there’s that.”

Lance didn’t say anything in reply. Keith couldn’t tell if he just imagined it or if Lance was leaning closer into him. He decided to indulge the idea that Lance indeed wanted to be even closer. Lance put one of his hands on the table as well, near Keith’s hand. In a moment of spontaneous daring, Keith stopped his finger-drumming in order to hold Lance’s hand instead. When he started rubbing circles into the soft, smooth skin with his thumb, Lance let out a quiet, barely audible sigh next to him.

Several more minutes later, Nyma returned carrying a tray to their table. She set it down in front of their intertwined hands, wishing them a sweet meal with a saccharine smile before leaving once more.

The Valentine’s special was two small heart-shaped cakes with deep red frosting, completed by decorations of cream cheese formed like hearts as well as tiny pink sugared hearts sprinkled all over. The drinks were large hot chocolates with cocoa powder shaping hearts on the whipped cream. There was also an extra of heart-shaped cookies and pink napkins with red hearts. That sure explained why it was supposed to be for couples.

Lance made a little sound of delight, leaning forward to have a better reach. Keith adjusted his position to both have a better reach and still be as close as possible to Lance.

“I don’t know what to start with,” Lance sighed, “the chocolate or the cake.”

Keith picked up the dessert fork by the cake on his side, slicing into the cake with it and holding it out in front of Lance’s face. “Here.”

“Are you trying to feed me?” Lance squeaked out.

Keith shrugged. “Just for the first bite, thought it’d help you decide. And other couples do that all the time, don’t they?”

“Yeah, I guess, you’re right.” Lance finally leaned his face forward, mouth open, to take the offered bite. Keith smiled down at him fondly as Lance’s face lit up. “This is so delicious!” Lance moaned softly. “I love you for making this possible.”

The words made Keith’s heart beat faster, even if it was only about the cake. It made him decide to step up his game, though. “Anything for you, babe.”

Luckily, unlike last night’s dinner, this time Lance didn’t have a choking fit. There was a lovely blush on his face, though. “Jeez, Keith, you are a danger to my health if you keep doing that.”

“Just admit you love it, Lance. Now eat your cake, or do you want me to feed the entire thing to you?” Keith raised an eyebrow.

“As tempting as that sounds, I don’t know if I can handle that. And how would you eat _your_ cake?”

Keith shrugged. “You could feed me at the same time.”

“Maybe next time.” Lance took a sip of his hot chocolate before picking up his own fork.

They were both eating now, chatting and laughing together as they usually would, except with a lot less space between them. Keith kept stealing glances at Lance, taking in every detail—the freckles on his nose and cheeks, the way the light reflected in his deep blue eyes. How they crinkled at the corners with a dimple forming at his lips when Lance was laughing. How he got some cream right around his upper lip like a mustache.

It was then that Keith realized that yes, he really wished he was Lance’s boyfriend, and he realized that he wished that Lance would want the same at the end of the day.

At that moment, Lance tilted his head to look at him as well, and their eyes met. Lance’s eyes widened a fraction at the realization that Keith had already been looking at him, had given him this incredibly soft, fond smile. It was as if time stopped right there and then. Their faces were mere centimeters apart: it would be so easy to just close the remaining space and kiss Lance.

And because controlling impulses was never one of Keith’s strengths, that’s what he did.

It was just a chaste brush of their lips together, it was uncoordinated because of the suddenness, and Keith was able to taste the cream staining Lance’s face, but he didn’t care. His lips were tingling, his body felt warm, warmer than usual. He was sure he was blushing now, at least a little.

But at least, when he leaned back again, Lance’s face was flushed as well, his eyes glazed over. The seconds ticked by with neither of them reacting to what just happened. Finally, Lance snapped out of his daze, smiling shyly. He leaned forward to peck the faintest of kisses on Keith’s lips, barely touching, before going back to his cake and hot chocolate. Keith felt literally on fire. It was as if something had changed, at that exact moment, but he couldn’t quite tell what, or how.

They finished in comfortable silence, both smiling, sitting even closer than before. When Nyma came back to take the tray and bring the bill, Lance didn’t even make a noise of complaint when Keith immediately took care of paying. (Then again, he had pointed out that technically it was Keith who had asked him out.)

 

Their walk back home continued in silence as well. Their hands kept brushing together. It made Keith mad, kind of; he was dying to hold Lance’s hand again, but would that be alright, now? But Lance didn’t pull his hand away or anything, so … it was worth a try. In the end, though, Keith only linked two of their fingers together. That was good enough for him, especially when Lance shot him one of those smiles again.

But when they got home, Keith knew they had to talk about this. And that was where he struggled, most of the time. They were sitting on the sofa now, Red and Blue purring between them. Keith was growing fidgety. “Lance—” he said at the same time as Lance said: “Keith—”

Keith cleared his throat and said: “You first.”

Lance laughed softly, nervously scratching Blue’s ears to keep his hands occupied. “Thank you for this afternoon. I had a lot of fun, and the Special was as amazing as I had imagined it.”

Keith smiled. “I had a lot of fun too.”

Lance smiled back, but he still seemed nervous. “Also … you were right. I really do wish you were my boyfriend, but then again…” he took a breath. “I’ve actually wanted that for a long time.”

Keith couldn’t believe his ears. Did Lance really just say that? He blinked stupidly, processing the words and trying to find his speech again. Finally, he blurted out: “I really liked being your boyfriend today, and I would like to keep being boyfriends, too.”

“Really?” Lance smiled, hope shining in his eyes.

“Really. I really like you a lot.”

“I like you too. I like you a lot and I ain’t lion.”

“Shut up,” Keith groaned at the pun. But he also wasn’t annoyed—he loved Lance, puns included.

“Only if you kiss me again,” Lance said, tilting his head, eyes half closed.

And really, who was Keith to say no to that?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone has/had a nice day! Come find me on [tumblr](http://crystalklances.tumblr.com) or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/crystalklances)!


End file.
